Vaccines against polio, measles and other childhood diseases enter Gaza via Rafah crossing

Thousands of doses of vaccines against childhood diseases including polio and measles have started to enter the Gaza Strip to help deal with a growing health emergency, the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah says.

The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, triggered by the brutal October 7 massacres carried out by the terror group in southern Israel, has effectively stopped normal health services in Gaza, including vaccinations against highly contagious childhood diseases that had been brought under control by mass immunization programs.

The ministry says supplies, estimated to be sufficient to cover vaccinations for 8 to 14 months, have entered Gaza through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt with the aid of Egyptian government cold storage facilities.

Israel announced Friday that it would facilitate the entry of the vaccines to help prevent the spread of disease.

Yasser Bouzia, head of international relations in the health ministry in Ramallah, says there were estimated to be some 60,000 newborn babies in Gaza who would normally receive vaccination but who have been largely cut off from medical services.

He adds that administering the vaccines will be difficult because most of Gaza’s population have been displaced from their homes, with hundreds of thousands living in tents or other temporary accommodation.

The vaccines against diseases including rubella, polio, measles and mumps come from supplies purchased by the Palestinian health ministry and also donated by UNICEF, the United Nations children’s fund, the ministry says.